


Warm Against the Snow

by msmelxx



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, Lots of Angst before Happiness, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:14:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24214261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msmelxx/pseuds/msmelxx
Summary: AU where an original male character named Yuki with a mysterious background that he's not aware of joins the Fraldarius household when the Faerghus gang are still children before attending Garreg Mach together. Retelling of AM route joining with VW depending. Eventual pairing with Felix. Will have background pairings once the story reaches Garreg Mach and starts the game's storyline.
Relationships: Background Pairings Eventually, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Original Male Character(s), Sylvain Jose Gautier/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think this will get many readers because of the original character but I tried to insert existing characters in place of Yuki but it didn't feel right. It really is just for me to put into words what I have running through my head. This is also my first fic in about 10 years. I predict this to be an extremely slow burn fic that I've had in my head for a while but finally got to writing. Rating and tags may change in future.

Snow.

Yuki had always had an affinity for it. His earliest memories were of watching it fall in thick sheets from the warmth of his bedroom window, of creating snow angels with his mother in the backyard, of holding his hands out to capture snowflakes in his palms. He would listen to other people complain about the chill when he accompanied his parents to the markets in the nearest town. His young mind would have difficulty comprehending why. He loved the cold, the biting chill of the winter wind against his face, warming up his hands against the fire in the living room, the way his breath would mist in front of his face when he exhaled. Yuki had always loved the winter.

He always thought it was to do with his name. He had asked his father what it meant at an early age.

"Snow, my son," his father had replied with a smile. "You were born in the middle of winter, right here in this cottage. You were the greatest gift your mother and I have ever received." 

He hadn't questioned any further. He knew his eyes were grey tinged with silver, almost like the colour of snow as his mother would say. As far as he was concerned, his name meant snow, and he loved snow. That was that he'd supposed. His father had placed his palm on Yuki's silver-coloured hair then, ruffling it slightly. _Silver-haired and silver-eyed._ He placed his other hand around the back of Yuki's neck, feeling the chain that wrapped loosely around his neck. It held a small pendant. Yuki had worn it for as long as he could remember. He'd asked his parents about it, naturally. The only answer they'd ever given him was that it was to protect him. Yuki had left it at that.

Until that night.

In later years, when he looked back on this memory, he would know only one thing for certain. That he had celebrated his tenth birthday just the day before. The day before the masked men with hooded caps and swords burst through the door to his family's cottage. When he thinks back to that night, he later realised those men would have spent time and effort to find their home, which meant they had a purpose in knocking down the front door, which meant they weren't just regular bandits searching for a quick target. His family lived a comfortable distance from the nearest town, right next to a large wooded forest where his father sourced the firewood to feed the fire. The same forest that provided them with meat from wildlife, with water from a small creek originating from the glacial river at the mountaintop. He had never questioned why his parents decided to put their roots down away from civilization. It had never really crossed his mind at that age. 

Regardless, those masked men were in his home now. He remembers his father grabbing the axe that was in the corner. He remembers thinking it there were six of those men and only one of his father. Yuki reaches for the knife on the table that his family were just having dinner on. 

"Elena, take him and go!" His father had shouted at his mother, who Yuki curiously noted had a glow coming from both her clenched fists. He had never seen that before.

"Jonathan, hold my hand! Quickly!" He watched his mother start to weave her right hand in the air, watched as the air around them colour to match the glow in her hands.

"No, you can travel further with just him. There's no time, leave now!"

"Jon-"

"Now!"

He remembers his mother holding him tight against her chest, feeling rather than hearing her sob. After that, his memories are just a haze. He recalls flashes of images, nothing complete like the way he vividly remembers blowing out the candles on the cake on his birthday. His face was held tight against his mother so he doesn't see what happens next, only recalls a wave of nausea that hits him and suddenly he finds himself in the snow. His mother was still clutching tight to him. She was breathing heavily. He could feel her heart thumping fast against her chest. He lifted his head to look up at her, saw her uncork a small vial and drink its contents in one go. He felt her holding him tight against her chest once more, felt the same nauseating wave crash against his body. He wanted to tell her to stop, that he was feeling sick from whatever she was doing. Instead, he opened his eyes to find themselves in front of a large gate. 

He saw two men in front of the gates wearing silver armour and thick fur capes. He watched them startle and then approach them slowly, holding their lances pointed in Yuki's direction. 

"Identify yourselves!" One of them had shouted. 

Yuki could feel the wind biting against him, the snow whipping against the part of his face not covered by his mother's body. He had not been dressed for the outdoors when everything happened. Neither had his mother and father. They had been having dinner when the men broke down the door. He waited for his mother to answer, to tell them they had been attacked so those men could help his father back in their cottage. Instead, he felt her body slump against him. His ten-year-old body was of course too small to hold an adult up, so he felt himself falling backwards with a small thud, felt the air leave his lungs when he hit the ground, felt the sharp bite of chilled air as he struggled to catch his breath.

"M-mother?" He managed to breath out. She was fully on top of him, stirring slightly but still not pushing herself off of him.

It is then that he felt it. An object sticking into his side. It wasn't sharp, just uncomfortable, so he lowered his hand to it and felt around the shape of it. It was sticking out of his mother's side. Unthinkingly, he moved to pull at it. It had dislodged easily. Almost too easily. 

It was a dagger. He could feel the sharp tip of it against his fingers. He raised it high enough to see it tinged in red. Blood red. His mother's blood, his mind connected.

_Oh._

Then his breathing came faster. He'd seen enough in his young life to know what blood was of course. He had seen his father skin the rabbits caught in the traps they'd lain out together. Had seen his mother slit the throats of the chickens they bought back from the market. He knew what happened to those animals afterwards.

"Yuki.." he heard his mother whisper against his ear from where she was still slumped over his small frame.

"Yes, Mother?" He lifted his eyes from the dagger to meet hers. Silver meeting brown.

It was going to be fine. These men would help her, just like how his mother would help bandage up his scrapes from when he tripped over, or how she would help his father with the cuts he'd gotten from his wood axe.

It-she was going to be fine.

"Be strong, my love. My snow angel. You are special in so many ways. Mother will always love you. And Father. We love you so very much."

Why was she saying these things? These men were going to help her. He opened his mouth to say as such but she was speaking again in another whisper.

"Show them...your pendant. Remember to show them, show...Rodrigue. You'll be safe then. I love you. I love..." 

He felt her sigh once against his cheek. Her breath warm against the chill. Saw her eyes flutter shut. He didn't feel her sigh again. Nor did she open her eyes.

"Mother?" 

His eyes were wide open now, staring up at the night sky. It was a clear night tonight, despite the wind and the snow. It was a full moon, stars abounding throughout the faded black background. He drew in a shuddered breath. Exhaled. Inhaled. The scent of blood filled his nostrils. He felt something sour rising in his throat. He moved his arms to try and lift his mother off him but she was too heavy. He felt his throat start to close up, his eyes start to water. He attempted to breathe in again only to find that his body wouldn't let him.

Panic. That was the word. He was going to die here, crushed underneath his own mother's body.

_I am going to die._

Then he felt the weight above him lift. Felt strong arms lift himself into a sitting position. He gathered his breath first. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, revelling in the sharp bite of the chill in his lungs. It stung, but at least it wasn't the smell of blood. 

Only when he was breathing normally did he look up to see it was one of the men outside the gate who'd lifted him. Both of them no longer had their lances up. He saw one of the weapons on the ground next to him.

"What's your name, son?" 

"Yuki." He replied. "Sir." He added after a beat. His father always told him he needed to speak politely to adults.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"I-I'm not sure." 

It was the truth. What had happened? Everything felt like a blur. The man was looking at him still so Yuki continued, trying to explain what he wasn't sure of himself.

"There were men who wore masks on their faces. They came through the door to our house. We were eating dinner and Father grabbed the axe to stop them. I..Mother-I'm not sure what happened but she did something with her hands and then we were outside here all of a sudden." Yuki paused then, not sure if he was making any sense. "I really don't know what happened," he added softly, looking down at his hands.

His eyes were starting to water for real now. He felt it spill over, running down his cheeks. Warm for just a small instant before the wind froze them over. It was then that he remembered.

"Wait, I need to show you something. Mother told me I needed to show you."

"What is it?"

He grabbed blindly at the chain around his neck. The tears were making it hard to see. He lifted it off his neck, grasped the pendant that was attached to it in his palms and held it out towards the man. He watched through blurred vision as the man took it from him, saw him inspect it closely with his fingers before opening the clasp that held it closed. He saw his eyes widen and turn towards his companion.

"This has Lord Rodrigue's name and picture in it." 

Yuki wondered who Lord Rodrigue was. He had never heard his parents say that name. It was the same name his mother had told him to show the pendant to too before she-

Panic. Throat closing. Sour taste in his throat. The smell of blood again. No, he could not think about _that_ now. 

_Focus, Yuki. Breathe._

He tried to do so quietly while simultaneously rubbing the back of his hands against his eyes. Scrubbing away the tears in case the men saw them and thought him a weak child.

"What should we do?" The other man asked uncertainly.

The wind was getting stronger. The last vestiges of warmth his mother had given him while on top of him was starting to fade. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to stop his body from shivering.

"Lord Rodrigue is in the castle tonight. We should at least show this to him, right? At the very least he would want to know why this woman warped herself here."

"Rickard, you don't think she's...his-"

"I don't-I don't know, Matthias. Let's just take this boy and his pendant to the lord. "

"What should we do about her body?"

"We can return for her after. Come, lad."

Yuki felt the same arms that lifted him just now wrap around him again. He was only dimly aware of what was going on now. He was suddenly tired. He wanted to sleep somewhere warm. Wanted the comfort of the bed he shared with his mother and father.

He felt himself being carried, cradled in the arms of the man he presumed was named Rickard. The gentle rise and fall motion of being carried in his arms reminded him of the way his father carrying his half-asleep body to bed when he had inadvertently fallen asleep in front of the fire. Yuki had been aware of what was going on of course, pretending to be asleep only so he wouldn't need to walk himself back to bed. The warmth of that memory started to lull him into closing his eyes and drifting off into a light sleep, rubbing his face against the man's chest.

Minutes, hours or days passed. He wasn't sure. He came to slightly when he felt the air around him shift to something warmer. The kind of warmth that came with being indoors with a fireplace burning. He opened his eyes slightly only to shut them tight again when they burned against the light. He snuggled back against Rickard's chest.

 _Too bright._

He was being lowered onto a bed. No, not a bed. A couch, he realised after a moment. 

"What is this? What's happened?" Yuki distantly heard a man ask. Different from the first two men. Deeper. His tone reminded Yuki of the voice his father would use when Yuki did something wrong. He curled himself against the couch as much as his body would allow and pretended to be asleep.

"We found him and who we presume to be his mother outside the gates, my lord." It was Matthias, not Rickard speaking. "They had appeared suddenly. It looked like a Warp spell. We think they were attacked and she teleported them to safety. She had a dagger in her side and did not survive for long after they appeared."

"I see. Did she say her name?" The unknown voice asked. Yuki didn't open his eyes. He was tired. So, so tired.

"No, my lord. But the boy showed us this. He said she told him to show us."

A creak of metal, a ruffling of sleeves. 

Then, Yuki heard a sharp exhale.

"Jonathan... " His father's name. "It must have been Elena then. She didn't live, you said?"

"Yes, my lord. The dagger must have been buried deep."

"From where she presumably warped from, that would have drained her of any remaining strength she could have used to heal herself. I'm surprised she even made it to the castle."

"Presumably, my lord?"

"Ignore me. Just thinking out loud. The boy?"

"He said his name was Yuki."

"So it was Elena." Another exhale from the unknown man. "Well, shit."

Yuki heard footsteps drawing closer to him.

_No, let me sleep. Please. Just let me sleep._

"Yuki." He felt arms holding his shoulder and shaking him. "Wake up, son."

He's tried in the past to pretend to be asleep when his father attempted to wake him up for the day. It had never ended without his father telling him not to be lazy. This man reminded him of his father, and thus Yuki did not want to make him angry.

He opened his eyes slowly, blinked once and winced against the light. He initially could barely make out the figure of the person standing bent above him, looking down over him. It took him a few moments for his eyes to adjust. A tall man was standing next to the couch. He had dark hair, loosely curled, falling to just above his shoulder. His eyes were silver, just like Yuki's. From his voice, Yuki had assumed he would look stern. Perhaps a frown on his brows the way his father would look whenever Yuki disobeyed him. However, the man's eyes were warm as they gazed down at him. He had a small smile on his face. Yuki felt his nerves lessen. If this was the Rodrigue his mother had mentioned, she had said he would be safe with him. He trusted his mother.

"Are you hurt?" Rodrigue asked.

Yuki gave a small shake of his head. It wasn't him that the dagger pierced. It wasn't his blood on the metal tip. That was his mother's. He felt his eyes water again. He tried to sniff inconspicuously to clear his tightening nostrils. He must have failed because Rodrigue's eyes turned sympathetic. Pitying.

"Let's get you to bed, Yuki."

Yuki nodded this time. Not speaking. He didn't know if his voice would even work if he tried.

"I can carry him to bed. Please ask the cooks to prepare a warm meal and have it brought up to the guest room in my wing. Light, nothing too heavy. Hot water as well."

"Yes, my lord. And what of... her body?"

"Send some men to retrieve her and place her in the morgue. I'll let Gerta know in the morning to tend to her. Inform the captain that I want to meet him in my office tomorrow at first light. We'll need to investigate what's happened."

For the third time that night, Yuki felt arms close around him and gently lift him to cradle his body within. Instead of cold hard metal, it was to a warm robe-covered chest that he pressed his cheeks against. The same gentle motion of being carried started to lull him to sleep again. He felt himself being carried upstairs, heard leather boots stride against stone floors, felt himself being lowered onto a soft bed. Softer than the one in his home. The one he shared with his parents. With his mother who died on top of him.

Yuki clenched his eyes tighter shut. _No, don't think of that. You'll get sick again._

The pillow his head laid against was feather-soft. He felt blankets being pulled up and over his body. Warm, exactly how he wanted to sleep when he was outside in the snow just now.

"Someone will be up with something to eat in a moment. If you need anything, please let them know."

Yuki opened his eyes slightly to look up at Rodrigue. The man's eyes suddenly turned sad.

"I'm sorry. For what happened."

"What happened, sir? I don't know what happened. My mother, I've never seen her do that before. Her hands were glowing. And my father, he's still in our home trying to fight those men off. Please, sir. You need to send people to go help him." The words started slowly but by the end, Yuki finished his sentence in one long exhale. 

Rodrigue didn't answer for a few moments before replying slowly.

"Sleep, my child. Your father- I don't know where he is. I will send men to try and find him. But for now, eat and get some rest. You must be exhausted."

Yuki was exhausted. So exhausted that in the back of his mind he knew he had questions he wanted to ask still, but he could already feel his eyes fluttering shut against his will.

He heard Rodrigue sigh softly. Felt a warm palm against his forehead. Soothing, comfortable. Then the sound of boots walking away from the bed.

_Wait._

Yuki opened his eyes and sat up quickly.

"Are you leaving, sir?"

Rodrigue had been facing away from the bed, making his way towards the door. He turned around with a questioning look on his face.

"Someone will be here with you soon. Do not worry."

"I don't...I don't want to be alone, sir. Please."

Yuki looked down at his hands on his blanket-covered lap. Suddenly shy. He wanted to be strong like his father, and yet he couldn't. Not tonight. Not when he could still feel his mother's last breath against his cheek.

He didn't hear Rodrigue say anything for a long time so he looked up slowly to meet his gaze. The tall man had his arms crossed, his eyes still full of that pitying sympathy as he looked at Yuki. 

"Alright then, I have someone that can keep you company tonight. Just one night, alright?"

For the first time that night, Yuki felt a small smile creep onto his face. 

"Thank you, sir."

Rodrigue beckoned for Yuki to follow him. Yuki shrugged off his blanket, his feet cold as he stepped onto the stone beneath him. He made his way towards the door where Rodrigue was standing, holding his hand out towards the man like how he would hold his father's hand to bed.

Rodrigue paused for a moment. His features unreadable for a moment before he extended his own hand to grasp Yuki's tiny fingers in his much larger ones. His hand was warm, rough just like his father's. Maybe he also chopped firewood every day, Yuki mused.

Rodrigue led him outside the room, down the hall to another room a few doors down. He knocked once, twice.

"Felix?" He asked against the closed door. "Are you awake?"

A moment passed without a reply before Yuki heard movement behind the door and watched it slowly creak open.

He saw someone, a boy his age he presumes given they're the same height, rubbing the back of his hand blearily against his eyes. He had the same colour hair as Rodrigue, ran down to his shoulders too. However, instead of loose curls like Rodrigue's, his was straight all the way down its length.

"Father? What's wrong? You woke me up." His voice was soft, tinged with sleep still. Yuki started to feel bad he got woken up because of him.

"I want you to do me a favour, Felix. Would it be alright for this boy to sleep with you tonight? He is a guest of ours tonight and is very tired. He would like to share a bed with someone, just for tonight."

Yuki watched the boy named Felix turn towards him, the same questioning look his father had worn in the other room just now.

"Alright, Father. If that is what you ask."

"Good boy." Rodrigue let go of Yuki's hands. "Go on, introduce yourself lad."

Yuki suddenly felt shy. Felix was still looking at him, his head tilted slightly. His eyes met Yuki's more firmly now instead of half-lidded like they were just moments ago.

_Brown and orange. The colour of sunset._

"Hello...my name is Yuki."

"My name is Felix. Nice to meet you." Felix gave him a small smile. "Would you like to come in?"

Yuki nodded with a smile of his own.

"Thank you, Felix. Knock on my door if you need anything." Rodrigue said with a ruffle of hands on Felix's hair.

"Yes, Father."

"Goodnight, boys. I need to let the cooks know to prepare breakfast tomorrow instead." With that, Rodrigue turned and walked down the hall, turned a corner and was gone from Yuki's eyes.

Felix opened the door wider and gestured for Yuki to come in, closing it behind them after Yuki entered. Felix's room was big. Bigger than the bedroom in his own home. There was a fire burning, giving the room a comforting warmth against the cold outside. From the window, Yuki could make out the snow falling thickly. He was glad he was inside where it was warm.

"I have warmer clothes for you to change into if you would like," he heard Felix say behind him.

Yuki turned around and saw the other boy regarding him closely.

"That would be nice," Yuki admitted. He was wearing only a thin linen shirt and loose pants. His sleeping clothes. He looked down at them and saw the edges of his sleeves tinged with red. His mother's blood. Without thinking, Yuki quickly lifted the shirt from his body and threw it to the side.

"Are you alright?" Felix asked with a quizzical look.

"Yes, I-...It was dirty, that's all."

"How did you get blood on it anyway? Did you hurt yourself?"

_No. But my mother did. She got stabbed by a knife and died on top of me._

"No, it was just an accident," he replied instead. He didn't elaborate further. He couldn't.

Felix just shrugged and made his way to his wardrobe. He rummaged through the contents before pulling out a brown sweater and grey pants. He handed it to Yuki, indicating towards a corner of the room covered by a partition.

"You can change in there."

"Thank you."

Yuki changed quickly. He felt like he needed a warm bath. But he had already asked a lot of Rodrigue. He knew it was already too much being allowed to sleep in this big fancy castle. Bigger than anything he had seen before. Maybe he could ask Felix to ask his father for a bath.

When Yuki walked around the covers, he found Felix already sitting up in his bed with the blanket around him. It was a large bed, enough to sleep two big adults, which meant it could more than fit two little boys. Yuki felt shy again. He wasn't used to this. A big room, a big bed with a warm fire crackling in the background. 

Felix patted the space to his side.

"Well, come on. I'm sleepy."

Yuki nodded and padded his way across the room and climbed into the too-large bed. The blanket was made out of thick furs. Yuki didn't think he even needed the fire to stay warm with this blanket around him. There was a candle burning on each side of the bed on small side tables. He reached to try and blow the one on his side out, like how his mother and father would do right before they went to bed.

He felt a hand suddenly clasp around his arm instead. He turned around with a small frown.

Felix was looking at him, his cheeks tinged pink.

"I sleep with candles. When it's windy and snowy outside. It's-it's too dark otherwise." Felix said with a small huff, looking away first and then looking back up at Yuki through the dark hair that was falling over his eyes. He looked as though he expected Yuki to laugh at him.

"Right. Sorry for trying to blow them out. It's what I do at home, that's all," Yuki replied, slightly embarrassed by just assuming blowing out the candles was what Felix would want. This was his room, not Yuki's after all.

"Thanks," Felix muttered before lying down fully and wrapping the blanket tight around him. He was facing towards Yuki, eyes closed already.

Yuki joined him shortly after. This bed was even more comfortable than the one he'd just lain in the other room. 

"Felix?"

"Hmph?" Felix's reply was muffled against the blankets.

"Can I-can I hold your hand? Sorry I...I just-" Yuki cut himself off. "Nevermind."

Felix opened the eye not underneath the blanket to look up at Yuki. Wordlessly, he reached out his hand and placed it on top of Yuki's on the bed before promptly closing his eye again. Yuki smiled before settling fully into the bed. He turned his palm so he could curl his fingers in Felix's.

The blanket was so thick, Felix's hand so warm in his own that even with the amount of bright candlelight around him, he was asleep within moments of his head hitting the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rodrigue tells Yuki he is taking him in and Glenn makes an appearance. Ten-year-old Felix is scared of the dark.

_ He realises it's a dream after a few scenes. _

_ There's a scene with men bursting through the doors. Instead of wearing masks, their faces are uncovered, which allows him to see that where their eyes should be was replaced by hollow sockets with blue-coloured flames. He sees his father charge at them with an axe and receives a sword through the belly in exchange. _

_ The scene changes. He's outside the gates of Castle Fraldarius. His mother is lying on top of him. Instead of pulling a dagger from her, he sees himself thrusting it into her side. Her blood isn't red as it gushes out of her lifeless body. It's icy blue. He screams. _

_ New scene. He's lying on a bed. He sees Rodrigue standing next to him, gazing down at him while holding a sword. He watches the older man raise it with the tip pointing down. Down at his body. He sees the sword drive towards- _

_ Wake up. _

_ Wake up NOW. _

Yuki jerks awake with a gasp into the pillow beneath his head. He's laying on his side. He spends a few minutes catching his breath. It's hot. Stifling. He's sweating into the sheets underneath him. He throws the blankets off and lets the morning chill settle into his body. After he starts to breathe normally again, he runs his palm across the pillow. He is soaked with sweat, as expected. 

He rolls onto his back and looks up at the unfamiliar canopy above him. He realises he's not in his usual bed. It takes him a few moments to recall where he is. Castle, Rodrigue, Felix. That's right. He remembers now. Remembers pulling metal from his mother's side. Remembers the scent of her blood. Remembers how the last thing he'd seen of his father was the back of his shoulders as he turned around to face those men.

He closes his eyes for a few seconds and takes a deep breath before opening them again. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees the first light of dawn weakly filtering through the snow-covered windows. Must have been quite the blizzard last night, he thinks to himself. He turns around to face Felix's side of the bed. The indigo-haired boy was still sleeping soundly, still facing Yuki with his face half-covered underneath the blanket. Clearly, he hadn't suffered from a nightmare as Yuki had. The candles on each side of the bed had burnt out during the night.

He wants to splash water on his face to remove the last vestiges of his nightmare from the back of his eyes. He tries to remove the covers silently and slip out of bed without waking the other boy. However, Felix must be a light sleeper because no sooner had Yuki's feet touch the cold stone floor that Felix stirs. Yuki turns around and watches Felix scrunch his face and blink slowly awake.

"I'm sorry," Yuki says apologetically. "I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to use the washroom."

Felix gives a little huff before tugging the covers over his head, enveloping his body within. Yuki smiles a bit at that. A sudden knock on the door interrupts their reverie. Felix has a frown on his face as he peeks out of the blankets at the offending sound before calling out, "Come in!" The door opens and in walks a servant pushing a cart laden with a considerable amount of food. Well, it looks considerable to Yuki's eyes. He's not sure what breakfasts Felix is accustomed to. Yuki is used to eggs lain by their chickens on top of bread his mother makes every week; and if times were especially good, bacon on top bought from the markets.

The servant leaves the cart beside a table with two chairs before exiting the room with a bow at Felix. A dining table, Yuki presumes. Atop the cart laid a basket filled with several types of bread, strips of bacon still lightly crackling on a plate alongside a small mountain of fried eggs. He sees a platter of fresh fruit and a bowl of jam and butter on the side. He's only tasted jam a few times in his life, bought by his mother in town when she felt like the family could indulge a little. There is a teapot with steam rising from the spout, accompanied by small white and gold-coloured teacups that looked very expensive. He is used to wooden mugs that his family would use to hold water to hot tea to even soup sometimes.

Felix notices Yuki wide-eyed stare at the multitude of options on display and, as if reading his thoughts, says, "Don't worry, they don't usually cook this much for breakfast. I suppose my father wants you to eat well. Did you have dinner last night?"

Yuki shakes his head. No, dinner had been interrupted. 

"No, I didn't get to finish dinner last night," he says quietly.

"Well, you go ahead. I'm going to wash my face," Felix replies, before hopping off the bed and heading through another door to the side.

Yuki hesitates. His parents rarely visited another household for dinner. On the few occasions that they had, Yuki was always reminded beforehand to let the dinner host start first before he started eating. Well, Felix did permit him to start, he thinks to himself.

Yuki makes his way towards the dining table, looks at the cart and bites his lip in hesitation. Then, deciding to go for it, be picks up a plate and begins to load it with a little bit of everything. Once he's finished with his plate, he gathers up another and begins to fill it up for Felix. He's not sure what Felix prefers, so he also takes a bit of everything on offer for the other boy. Once he's done with that, he pours two cups of hot tea and sits on one of the chairs patiently for Felix to return, which he does after a few more minutes. 

Felix joins him and sits opposite Yuki, looking down at the plate Yuki had set aside for him.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to," he says as he looks back up at Yuki quizzically. He picks up his fork and begins to tuck into the meal. It is only when he starts eating that Yuki joins him. He hadn't realised how hungry he was until he begins to eat and before he knows it, he's inhaling the food on his plate, reminding himself to chew properly before swallowing. He doesn't need a repeat of the fishbone incident.

It's good food, delicious and hearty, washed down with a steaming cup of tea. The perfect breakfast for a cold winter's morning. It doesn't take him long to finish what was on his plate. He looks at Felix's own and sees that the other boy is still slowly making his way through his plate. Yuki glances at the remaining food on the cart, shy, feeling a bit like a greedy pig. Felix sees his look and smiles kindly.

"Go on. You said you hadn't had dinner. You must be hungry."

Yuki shakes his head slowly, still not reaching for more. It is a force of habit. There were some nights in the past when his father hadn't managed to gather enough meat to satisfy two adults and a growing boy properly. His parents would give him the biggest cut of meat and when asked, would reply that they weren't that hungry. Yuki was seven before he realised they were lying. That was when he would start saying to them he was too full to finish what he was given and that they could have the rest. 

Felix sees his hesitation and after a beat, stands up and reaches over to start loading more food on to Yuki's plate. He also pours them both a fresh new cup of tea.

"Thanks," Yuki mutters. He really was feeling like a pig. 

"The food will go to the dogs anyway if we don't finish it," Felix replies with a small tilt of his head, indicating for Yuki to continue eating. Yuki obliges, picking up his fork.

"I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself properly last night," Yuki says after swallowing his next mouthful. "My name is Yuki Sebastien Sommers."

"Felix Hugo Fraldarius," the other boy replies with a palm against his chest.

"Your father, his name is Rodrigue?"

"That's right. He's the Duke of Fraldarius," Felix says simply. As though it was no big deal to be a duke.

"Fraldarius? So, he owns everything around here?" Yuki asks. He'd known the town near his house had an important man called a mayor. His father had said the mayor ruled over the town. If Rodrigue- Lord Rodrigue, Yuki corrects himself internally, was the Duke, then that would mean he ruled over many towns. "He must be a very important person." 

"I guess," Felix shrugs. "Many people come to the castle to ask him for things."

_ A strong and powerful lord _ , Yuki thinks. And yet, the man last night that had carried him to bed, that had gently placed his hand on Yuki's forehead hadn't seemed like that type of person. He'd been kind to Yuki, had let him sleep here in this big castle, sent this delicious breakfast to make sure Yuki wasn't hungry. Yuki would need to make sure he thanked him today if he saw him.

"So who else lives here? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Yuki asks.

Felix perks up at that question, his lips breaking into a wide smile.

"Yes! A brother. His name is Glenn. He's only a few years older than me, but he's already training to be a knight. The captain of the guard says that the king is going to make him a knight of the Royal Guard if he keeps his training up."

"The Royal Guard?"

Felix nods fervently. "That's right. It's a special group of knights that protect the king himself. Only the best knights get chosen."

Wow. Yuki can't even imagine what it would be like to serve the king himself. He knows what a king is, of course. He'd never seen him personally, but he hears the townsfolk talk about him.

"Just wait till you meet him," Felix continues brightly. "Have you finished eating? He's probably already at the training grounds with Johannes."

"Johannes?" Yuki asks with a questioning look.

"Oh, he's the arms master at the castle," Felix replies. "He trains all the guards here. He's even started to train me to use a sword too. Father thinks it's too soon for me, but Dimitri's my age, and he's already started training last year."

"Who is Dimitri?" 

_ So many names of people I don't know, _ Yuki thinks to himself. That's the downside to living so far away from other people. He doesn't really know anybody, let alone other kids his age. Whenever he went into town with his parents, he would see a lot of children going in and out of one building in particular. When he'd asked his parents about it, they'd called it a school, a place where children learn to read and write. Naturally, he'd asked why he wasn't going to the school. His parents had said that they could teach him everything at home, so there was no need to walk that far every day. Yuki had accepted that answer unquestioningly. The town was indeed very far from his home.

"He's my friend," Felix answers, interrupting Yuki's thoughts. "He's actually the prince, but I've known him all my life." 

Prince. That means the son of the king. Again, Felix says things so casually, as if it was customary to be friends with a prince. Yuki supposes it was normal for Felix. He is the son of a duke himself.

"Wow, so you know a prince?"

"Yeah, but he always tells us not to call him that. I mean, Ingrid will still call him 'Your Highness' in front of the adults, and Sylvain calls him that as a joke. Oh, Sylvain and Ingrid are my other friends," Felix adds, after seeing the questioning look on Yuki's face. "Their fathers are lords as well, so I see them a lot whenever our fathers meet. They're actually going to visit soon, I think. Father said they were."

"Do they visit you often?"

"Yeah, or sometimes I visit one of them. It just depends on what Father does. They always just end up talking in a room somewhere, but they let us play together. Glenn plays with us sometimes, but Father has been asking him to join the adults more and more. I think everyone is coming to visit Fraldarius this time. You'll be able to meet them when they come."

"I-I would like that," Yuki admits. Maybe they would want to be friends with him. He doesn't say that part out loud. But then a thought hits him. He doesn't even know if he's allowed to stay at the castle. He's not Felix. His parents weren't dukes or even a mayor. Yuki's shoulders hunch a little at the thought.  _ What is he thinking? _ Of course, he wouldn't be allowed to stay. A castle was where important people lived, or where they could be useful in serving the lord that lived there. Yuki has nothing to offer Lord Rodrigue. His heart drops at the realisation that he has nowhere to go. His mother was dead and his father, well, Yuki can ignore the truth in the corner of his mind for a little while longer. He can pretend his father escaped from six heavily armed men who had entered through the only door and thereby blocking the only exit out of the house.

"Are you alright?" Felix's voice breaks the line of Yuki's dark thoughts. "You shouldn't have eaten so quickly, you know. Father says it's not good for your body."

"No, I'm fine," Yuki lies. "I think I just need a bath. I feel a bit gross."

"I can ask someone to bring up some hot water," Felix offers. "It'll take some time for them to fill the tub though. Hey! I know," he exclaims loudly as a thought strikes him. "We can head to the training grounds and watch Glenn train while they bring the water up."

"I don't want to be a pain," Yuki replies meekly. Breakfast and a hot bath? He's just a lowly commoner boy. He shouldn't start asking for things as if he was the Duke's son.

Felix dismisses his concerns with a wave. "It's no trouble. Father said you were a guest here. Quick, finish eating. Maybe we'll be able to catch Glenn training a new combat art."

Yuki gulps down the rest of his food and hurriedly follows Felix out the door. Felix directs him to put on a pair of slippers before they head down the hallway. The castle is confusingly massive to Yuki. They seemingly turn down a maze of corridors that all appear the same to Yuki before arriving at what he presumes to be the training grounds that Felix mentioned.

It's a large outdoor area but with a covered roof, presumably so one could train even when it rains. However, on a morning like this, a roof isn't enough to block the aftermath of a blizzard. Yuki sees his breath misting in front of his nose every time he exhales. He likes this. The piercing sharpness of the cold against his lungs. He sees that Felix is apparently also unaffected by the chill. The other boy is wide-eyed with excitement as he leads Yuki along the side walkway towards the far side of the area. They pass by several men sparring against one another with wooden swords and shields. Their grunts of exertion ring clear against the crunch of snow on the ground beneath their feet.

They arrive at their destination. It's a separate training area connected by a narrow walkway to where they'd come. There's fewer people here. They are, however, using real swords instead of wooden ones. Felix taps his shoulder and points in a direction. Yuki follows his fingers and lands his eyes on a boy clashing swords with a much taller man. He has the same indigo hair as Felix but clearly older by a few years. Not quite a man yet but already tall and lithe in stature. The man he was fighting against was broad-shouldered, wearing only leathers so Yuki could see the bulk of muscle in his arms and chest.

"That's Glenn," Felix whispers in Yuki's ears with a pride that comes with a younger brother idolising his older sibling. "Watch how he fights. He's going against our arms master."

Yuki watches as the two figures dance. Johannes, the arms master Felix had mentioned, is the more experienced of the two. His movements are precise, deliberate in a way that can only come with decades of training. His strokes are strong, powerful. Glenn, on the other hand, Yuki describes as graceful. What he lacks in comparison with the older man in terms of pure strength, he makes up with speed and agility. Yuki draws his eyes to his feet. Glenn moves as though he is dancing. His feet light against the ground as he sidesteps to counter an incoming slash.

The fight continues for a few more minutes until Johannes takes advantage as Glenn spins a circle around and knocks the sword from the boy's grip. Glenn groans softly as he pants with his hands on his knees, catching his breath.

"I told you to stop doing unnecessary spins," Johannes scolds sternly. "Such flourishes are for the dancefloor or if you're showing off in front of pretty ladies. In a real battle that will get you killed."

"Yes, sir," Glenn sighs as he straightens, still breathing heavily. He pushes his sweaty bangs out of his face as he picks up his sword on the ground. Yuki wonders how long they'd been at it before he'd arrived with Felix.

Glenn finally catches sight of the peeping duo, his face breaking out in a wide smile.

"Felix!" He waves. "What are you doing up so early?" He strides towards them, resting his forearm on Felix's head as he arrives, gazing down with a fond smile at his younger brother. Yuki's heart lurches a little at the sight. He's never had siblings. Never really thought about it until he watches the way Felix and Glenn interact. It's... nice, he thinks, to have someone like that. Someone you can be so comfortable with, knowing you're bound by blood.

Glenn turns his sights onto Yuki, who looks down at his feet, his silver-coloured hair folding over his eyes slightly. The older boy is quite a bit taller than him and Felix. He seems so much like an adult to Yuki, who can't help but feel like a little boy in comparison.

"Felix, be nice and introduce your guest," Glenn chides softly. Yuki looks up at him to see that Glenn is smiling kindly at him. He has Rodrigue's eyes, grey staring into Yuki's lighter silver.

"Oh yes, this is Yuki. Father said to me last night he was a guest here," Felix replies with a gesture at Yuki, who hastily gives a clumsy bow.

Glenn frowns a little before a look of understanding passes his face. "Ah yes, you must be the one Father mentioned to me this morning. It's nice to meet you. I am Glenn Fraldarius, brother of this little snot-nosed brat here."

He grins down at Felix, who starts to open his mouth indignantly before Glenn cuts in. "Don't argue. Your nose is running." Felix rubs the back of his hand tentatively first against his nose before his eyes widen and he starts using his sleeve to wipe his nose vigorously.

"Gross." Glenn laughs fondly. "Remember Father says always to carry a handkerchief." Felix sticks his tongue out at him.

Yuki sees Johannes the arms master approach them. From afar, he could already see how that man could be described as stern. From where he's closing in on them now, Yuki changes that description to 'downright intimidating'. He is made of pure muscle. Yuki thinks he could wrap one hand around Yuki's entire neck.

"Alright, break time's over, your Dukeliness," he says as he reaches them. He looks over the three of them, settling on a puzzled frown as he lands on Yuki, who can't help but shrink slightly away from the man. He doesn't ask about Yuki, simply taps Glenn's shoulders twice before turning around and walking back to where he was sparring with Glenn.

Glenn follows him but not before turning around with an apologetic look. "Duty calls, Felix and friend. Maybe I'll catch you two at lunch."

Felix waves back at him as he leaves them before turning to Yuki. "Johannes has been training him personally more often now."

"That man is...scary," Yuki finishes the sentence with a whisper, afraid he would be overhead. He sees Glenn and the scary man begin to cross swords again.

Felix laughs loudly. "Yes, he is. I think even Father is scared to get on his bad side when they spar. But he's nice enough when he's not in the training grounds. He's one of the best swordsmen in the Kingdom, maybe even the whole of Fódlan. Father says he won a big sword tournament in the capital when he was younger."

Yuki can believe that. Even with his experience with a sword, that is to say, none at all; he recognises the fluidity with which Johannes swings his sword. There isn't a movement that hasn't been calculated way in advance before it's performed. Glenn would be a formidable swordsman under his tutelage.

"Oh yes, I meant to ask for hot water for you, wasn't I?" Felix quickly flags down a passing servant and asks for buckets of hot water to be sent to fill the bathtub in his quarters. The servant bows and hurries away instantly. Felix turns back to watch the sparring duo without any preamble. Yuki is struck by how normal it was for Felix to do so. To order for things and have it obeyed without hesitation. He doesn't do it with arrogance. It's just what Felix has been used to his whole life, Yuki supposes.

"Do you know how to head back to my room?" Felix asks without breaking his gaze at Glenn.

Yuki doesn't know, of course. But he sees the eager way in which Felix watches his brother fight, a bright light in his eyes and a smile on his lips.

"I can find my way back," he finds himself replying.

Felix nods and waves dismissively, his attention solely on the fight in front of him. Yuki turns and makes his way back to the other training area. He remembers that much at least. He also remembers the last few turns they'd made before arriving. After that, though, he's completely lost. He sighs to himself. He's definitely an idiot for not being honest with Felix about knowing his way back. But how could he force Felix to leave the training grounds and to stop watching his brother train? He'd looked so happy.

Yuki pads along the hallway morosely as he tries to find someone to ask for directions. So many doors. How could one castle have this many rooms? He treads along until he passes by a larger than usual door. He hears muffled voices coming from the other side. Yuki doesn't think much of it and continues walking past until he catches his name being mentioned.

"...- Yuki." He recognises the voice as Rodrigue's.

"What are you going to do with the boy?" An unfamiliar voice asks.

"He will stay. I am taking him in."

"But my lord, you understand how this will look to others outside. The two guards yesterday already saw that the boy had a pendant with your name in it. That and the fact that the woman warped to you out of all people. Gossip in this castle travels fast as it is. Do you really want this boy's parentage hanging over you his whole life?"

"I know what it looks like, Mikael. And I couldn't care less. I owe his father a debt. A debt that I finally have a chance to repay adequately."

"There are many families in Fraldarius, even within the castle itself that would be willing to take him in. I strongly advise letting the boy stay with one of them. You can still look after him from afar. It would beget too many unnecessary questions if you took him in personally."

"You know I value you strongly as my advisor, Mikael. But I have to disagree with you on this matter, my friend. I acknowledge your concerns, and I will deal with problems as they arise. I will hear no more about this matter."

"I- Understood, my lord."

"The Margrave and the Count will be here in a few days, along with their children and the prince. We'll need to make sure arrangements for their visit is finalised-"

Yuki jerks away from the door at the sound of footsteps coming around the corner. He doesn't want to be caught eavesdropping, so he races off in the other direction down the hallway, rounding another corner before he-

"Ooof!"

He collides with something, or someone, falling to the ground disoriented, and air pushed out of his lungs forcefully. It takes him a few seconds to gather his bearings and catch his breath.

"What the HECK, Yuki?" Felix's disgruntled voice reaches his ears. "What were you running so fast for?"

Yuki looks up from rubbing his forehead that had collided with Felix's own to see the other boy glaring back at him. An angry welt was starting to appear on Felix's brow.

"I-I got lost," Yuki decides on a half-truth. "I was trying to find my way back to your room." Well, he really was lost. It's not his fault he got distracted.

"Well, you didn't have to run that fast. The guards here carry swords, you know. It could have been dangerous."

"I know. I'm sorry." Yuki replies. His mind is still on the conversation he overheard just now. There's a lot to take in, and he wants to go somewhere quiet so he can think.

His father knew Lord Rodrigue. He'd never heard any mention of Rodrigue from his parents. How did a duke come to owe a debt from his father? For the first time in his life, Yuki begins to realise that there are a lot of things he doesn't know about his parents' past. He'd never seen his mother's hands glow like they did last night, or watch her do whatever she did to send them to the castle. What-

"Well, Glenn's finished training for the morning," Felix's voice interrupts his thoughts. "Johannes says I'm to train this afternoon. Here, I'll show you back to the room."

They both turn around at the sound of boots approaching around the corner. Yuki fights an irrational urge to run like how he did only minutes ago. The footsteps reveal themselves to be Rodrigue and another man he doesn't recognise. Yuki hazards a guess that this is Mikael, the name from earlier. He's a blond-haired man of average height, half a head shorter than Rodrigue and wearing a frown on his brows as his eyes lands on Yuki.

"Ah, boys. Just who I wanted to speak to," Rodrigue greets with a smile. "Felix, I want you to find Glenn to tell him he will be part of the escort for the incoming party."

Felix, who had jumped to attention at the sight of his father, nods and races off without a word. Eager, no doubt, to be delegated a task that involves his brother.

Rodrigue turns to Yuki, who can't meet his eyes, feeling a surge of guilt at listening outside the door without permission. He tries not to let it show on his face.

"I would like to speak to you, Yuki, if that is alright with you," Rodrigue says to him. His tone is kind, different to how serious and lord-like he had sounded in the room just now.

Yuki can only nod silently while looking down at his feet. Rodrigue must have thought his guilty expression was a nervous one instead, because he adds, "it's nothing you need to worry about, my child."

Yuki sees Mikael stiffen slightly at the phrase. He can't quite work out why.

"Come," Rodrigue says after Yuki stays silent. He turns around and gestures for Yuki to follow him. He nods at Mikael, who apparently had his own task to do because the other man only bows back and does not follow them.

Rodrigue's stride is wider than Yuki's, who has almost to trot along to keep up with the taller man. They stop outside the same door that Yuki had just stood outside, and enter when Rodrigue turns the doorknob to swing the door open.

A room greets Yuki with a large desk on the opposite wall to the door. The other walls are lined with multiple bookcases, each packed full with books, and in some cases, ornaments and various small sculptures that provide a contrast to the brown and black leather-bound tomes. Everything he'd seen in this castle so far has been overwhelming in size. The ceiling in this room is high, making space inside feel so much more significant. The windows are large too, and the morning sun shining through provide a comforting open atmosphere. There is a fireplace burning in the corner next to the desk.

Rodrigue makes his way to a separate corner with a small table and two opposing armchairs. He sits in one of them and points to the other at Yuki, indicating for him to take a seat as well. Yuki does, feeling rather small inside this room and within the cushions cocooning him as he sits. The chair is large enough that he could quite conceivably curl up and use it as a small bed. His legs dangle off the chair, not touching the ground. He definitely feels like a child in front of Rodrigue, who sits in a way that commands attention even if the only person in front of him is a mere ten-year-old boy.

Rodrigue looks at his face and laughs. "You really don't need to worry, Yuki. I didn't ask you here to say something bad."

"You have been kind to me, my lord," Yuki replies. "Everything here is just very big."

Rodrigue snorts at that. "Yes, it would seem that way to you, wouldn't it? Did you sleep well? Felix kicks in his sleep sometimes."

Yuki nods shyly. He remembers his manners after a beat. "I did not thank my lord properly last night. And for breakfast this morning. It was delicious."

Rodrigue dismisses his thanks with a wave. "It is nothing. I'm glad you and Felix are getting on well." Rodrigue leans forward with his elbows on his knees, one of his hands rubbing at his beard with a sudden thoughtful expression.

"Yuki, I know it is too soon, but I want you to tell me anything you can remember from last night. If you do not wish to now, do not worry. I don't want you to be upset. We can talk about this at another time."

It takes him a few moments for Yuki to reply. Part of him wants to just forget about everything that happened last night. It would be more comfortable, locking all his memories away and throwing away the key. But then, he realises, he would be losing a part of himself. He would be forgetting the boy who would hold one of each of his parents' hands in his own while they strolled along the river watching the sunset. He would be forgetting helping his father stack the wood he'd chopped in preparation for loading onto the cart or helping his mother knead the dough for the bread. He would be forgetting how it felt to be tucked into bed with a kiss on his forehead. No, he wants to,  _ has to _ remember, even if it hurts him. This incident was a part of him now, just as much as the blood that flows through his veins.

He takes a deep breath before he starts to recount everything he remembers. He can only describe the parts he doesn't understand, for example: how his mother got them from his house all the way to the castle, or how the dagger came to be in her side. He manages to get through it without any tears, his voice breaking only slightly when he reaches the part where his mother uttered her last words. When he finishes, Rodrigue is gazing at him with sympathy.

"Thank you, Yuki. You are very brave for telling me all of this. You know, your father saved my life, once upon a time. This was when you were still a baby. I was travelling along a lesser-used route with only three guards accompanying me. Foolish, in hindsight but Fraldarius rarely had bandits in sizeable groups, and the area was always peaceful. As it happened, we were attacked by a large group who were on their way to attack another town. We managed to fight most of them off, at the cost of my guards' lives. I would surely have perished with them if not for your father appearing and helping me finish the rest off. I was injured badly, and he took me back to your home where your mother healed me."

Yuki was shocked. "My father has never told me this story before, sir. And he likes to tell me stories."

"Yes, well. He never really liked outsiders, living so far away from other people." Yuki nods at that. "Regardless, I asked what I could give in return for your parents saving my life. Do you know what they said?"

Yuki shakes his head.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They could have asked for gold, for a large house, for a title and lands. And they would have gotten it, saving the Duke of Fraldarius."

Yuki could only stare back at Rodrigue. He thinks back to those nights when they huddled in front of the fire as stormy winds blew through the hole in the roof of their house, to the nights when there wasn't quite enough food to satisfy all of their bellies. He thinks how different his life could have been. Maybe he could have had servants filling his bathtub with hot water whenever he pleased. And yet, he couldn't get angry at his parents. Not really. He had been loved by them, had just accepted his childhood as normal. He had never felt wanting for anything.

Rodrigue sees the faraway look in his eyes and huffs a laugh. "My apologies, maybe I shouldn't have told you that part. I take it you have had to go to bed some nights hungry?"

Yuki nods silently before replying, "I'm not sad or angry or anything, my lord. My parents made sure I had everything I needed."

Rodrigue smiles at that. "I'm sure they loved you greatly. In the end, I had to force them to take this." He reaches into his pockets and pulls out the pendant from last night. The one that Yuki had worn around his neck for as long as he can remember.

"My father gifted this to me. That is why it has my name in it. I gave this to your father and told him that if he ever needed anything, he could show this to anyone at this castle, and I would come to him. He's never used it once. Until now."

"My mother told me, before she…" Yuki takes a breath before continuing. "She told me to show it to you. Was that what she meant?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Though I wonder what made them instantly know they had to warp you here?" Rodrigue mutters quietly, almost to himself.

"My lord?"

Rodrigue looks up. "Forgive me. I tend to think out loud, especially in this room. This is not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Yuki looks questioningly at him.

"I want you to live with my family in this castle. I can provide a bed, food, and even sword training if you like. I could never repay your father for saving my life. I have the chance to do that now."

Yuki doesn't know how to respond. Just this morning he had panicked over what his future would be. He'd imagined being given away to a family in the town near his house, or perhaps even just turned away from the castle completely. He'd never expected this.

"My lord, I couldn't ask that of you. You've already been kind enough for last night. I-"

Rodrigue cuts him off. "You're not asking anything of me. I am offering it to you."

Rodrigue reaches across the table and presses the pendant into Yuki's hands. Yuki stares down at it for a long moment, before looking up at Rodrigue, eyes bright with tears threatening to spill over. He opens his mouth to speak only for Rodrigue to say something first.

"I will not accept no for an answer, Yuki. This is the payment I ask in return for you continuing to call me 'my lord'." The corners of Rodrigue's mouth tilt slightly upward.

Yuki tries to thank him profusely, only to stumble and trip over his words as he fumbles through trying to convey how much he appreciates Rodrigue's kindness. He doesn't deserve this, doesn't deserve being treated as if he were someone important. He's just the son of a woodcutter. The Duke gets the gist of it though, smiling that kind smile he had last night. It lasts a few moments before it wavers and dies completely.

"Would you like to see your mother?"

Yuki stills at that. Last night's memories are still, if he thinks back, hazy in some parts. He does remember one thing vividly. The brown of his mother's eyes as she gazed down at him for the last time. Was he ready to face her body? He knows he would need to see her before she was buried. Yes, Yuki knew about burying the dead. He is familiar with the concept of death. But he'd only ever needed to bury the family dog, only ever attended one funeral which was for one of his father's few friends. A funeral for his mother, well, that was a completely new area for Yuki. Not to mention...

'My father," he says quietly. "Have you...-" he can't finish the sentence.

Rodrigue is silent a long time for the first time during this conversation. Yuki sees his brow furrowed in indecisiveness. He knows Rodrigue is trying to find the right words. It is then that Yuki decides he needs to face the truth finally.

"My men would not have reached your house yet," Rodrigue begins. "I've informed them to send word as soon as soon as they do." He hesitates before opening his mouth to speak again. Yuki interrupts him.

"I know, my lord. I know my father couldn't have lived. There were six men last night and only one door to the house." Yuki's tone is expressionless, his eyes on the ground. He balls his hands into tight fists on the chair. There, he'd said it out loud. It was real now. "I'm not a baby," he finishes.

Rodrigue doesn't reply for a few minutes-long seconds.

"No," he says softly. "I suppose you're not. You're a brave boy, braver than many people would ever need to be. I truly am sorry about your parents. They were good people. I can only hope that in time, you find a new family here."

Yuki nods wordlessly. A new family. He doesn't know how he feels about that yet. He thinks of Rodrigue, how quickly he'd found himself being comfortable in the man's presence despite only meeting him yesterday. He thinks of Glenn, an older brother he'd never have. And Felix, sweet Felix who'd allowed him into his bed without so much as a question, who'd held his hand while he slept. Yes, maybe Yuki could find a new home here if they'd accept him.

"We can have a funeral for them," Rodrigue continues. "When my men send word. We can travel to your home and bury your parents there. Would you like that?"

"Yes, sir. I think my parents would like that. But maybe...maybe just you, my lord. Not Felix or Glenn. I don't want to bother them. If that's alright," he adds the last bit hastily.

"Of course."

____________________________________________________________________

Felix is the one who suggests Yuki take the room next to his. When pointed out that it is usually Sylvain that occupies that room, Felix had only shrugged and said Yuki would be living at the castle now whereas Sylvain visited only every other month.

Yuki's new room has a similar layout to Felix's. There is a large double bed with the same canopy but different coloured sheets, a desk, a wardrobe with far too much space than required to accommodate Yuki's clothes. Rodrigue had informed him privately that when they travel to Yuki's home in a few days, he could retrieve his belongings. He'd also seemingly read Yuki's mind regarding the need for wardrobe space, or the lack thereof rather when he told him he'd arranged for new clothes to be fitted for Yuki. This had set off another round of protests from him. Rodrigue had merely brushed him off, saying that he was a growing boy and that his old clothes wouldn't fit for much longer. Yuki had to admit then that this was true as even his current clothes at home were already starting to feel too tight and too short.

Yuki's room contains a nice reading nook with a couch and a large bookshelf against the wall on one side of the room. He also has his private bath connected through a side door just like in Felix's room. This, for him, is the biggest luxury out of everything so far. In the past, he would bathe in the river in summer. In winter, his family would need to use a tiny washtub indoors away from the cold. It could hardly be counted as bathing. More of a quick scrub and rinse while standing in the tub, trying to use as little water as possible given how long it would take to heat a new bucket. The bath in his new home is in a whole different room. There is a proper sink, a towel rack and somehow, heated flooring. Yuki thinks it must be done through a magical spell. The tub itself is vast. A fully grown adult could easily submerge fully within. For a child of Yuki's size, it is almost a miniature pool. It's all a bit too much for Yuki to take in. He feels like he'll never come to terms with how much his life has turned upside down. 

Trying to sleep that night is a challenge. All his life he'd slept in the same bed as his parents. He's used to having someone next to him. The emptiness he feels as he lays in bed all alone in his new room threatens to overwhelm him.

He manages to catch a few hours of sleep, but the next night, he gives in and makes his way silently out his door and towards Felix's room. He knocks as softly as he can, afraid someone will overhear him. The door opens after a few minutes, and he sees Felix greet him with a small frown.

"I can't sleep alone," he admits ashamedly. Felix invites him inside without any further questions, which Yuki had thought was slightly strange. He'd expected a laugh at his expense, maybe even a rejection. Felix does none of that.

"You might be caught if you try that again. The guards patrol the castle halls at night," he says as he makes his way towards the bookshelf. It looks the same as the one in Yuki's room. "Let me show you something."

He reaches up and brushes his fingers across one of the rows of books before landing his hand on a red-backed one. He pulls at it, and instead of the book falling off the shelf, it merely makes a small clicking sound and then the entire bookshelf swings backwards. Backwards as if one had just opened a door into the adjacent room. Yuki's room.

Felix turns around to see Yuki staring back at him open-mouthed. He smirks. "I wanted to see how you'd react." Yuki realises his mouth is open and hastily clamps it shut.

"It works on your side as well. Instead of red, look for the green-coloured book." Felix pulls on the same red book again. Another clicking sound before the bookshelf swings itself back into its original position as if it hadn't moved at all. "This is why Sylvain would stay next door. So we could sneak into each others' rooms at night without the guards knowing. You can do the same now," Felix says with a grin.

"That is awesome," Yuki replies with a slow smile spreading across his face. A secret door inside a castle. It's the kind of thing he reads about in storybooks, never imagining he'd encounter one himself. He sleeps peacefully that night, comforted by Felix's presence beside him.

It's a few nights later that he understands why Felix had unquestioningly accepted him saying he couldn't sleep alone. It had been another blizzard. This time with winds howling, rattling against the glass windows threatening to shatter them. Even the stone walls felt like they were shuddering slightly. Yuki was used to this and worse. His house frequently had the door or windows blown in by heavy storms. He's able to drift to sleep without much ado until he hears the creak of the bookshelf swing open. He sits up and sees Felix appear, gripping onto a candlestick. He makes his way towards Yuki's bed, face pale in the candlelight.

"What's wrong?" Yuki asks, his voice slightly hoarse from sleep.

"I can't sleep," Felix replies, rubbing the hand not holding onto the light against the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner. "The wind is...loud."

So that was why he'd unquestioningly let Yuki sleep in his bed the other night. Yuki wonders what Felix would have done if there was no one occupying this room. He supposes his friend Sylvain would sometimes be here to keep him company. If not, he knows Glenn slept just down the hallway.

Nevertheless, Yuki wants to repay Felix's kindness, so he gently pats the space beside him in the same way Felix had done that very first night. Felix's eyes brighten immediately, and he clambers into bed alongside Yuki. He's still holding onto the candle, looking down at it for a few moments as though preparing to ask something. Yuki already knows.

"You can leave the light on."

Felix smiles tremulously at that.

____________________________________________________________________

Rodrigue calls him into his office a few days after. It has now been a week since he's officially moved into the castle. He's starting to settle in now for the most part. He gets used to sleeping and waking up in a large bed with or without one Felix Fraldarius. He takes his meal in the common area where all the castle workers eat. Rodrigue will sometimes call him to join dinner with him and his sons privately. He is also set to begin sword training soon. Yuki is most excited about this, less enthusiastic when he's told Johannes will be the one overseeing his training.

He also starts to get used to the whispers around him. At first, it's the maid that fills up his bathtub that quips how he's being given one of the better rooms in the castle. "You must be special to the Duke," she mentions with a look on her face that Yuki couldn't quite read. And then it's the cook that hands him his plate of dinner that says, "food fit for a duke's son." He mostly hears the whispers during meals in the mess hall as it is where it is the most crowded at certain times of the day. He hears enough that the day that Rodrigue calls him into his office, he decides to ask him.

"My men have sent word back," the Duke begins. "They couldn't find any signs or evidence that could lead us to the men you saw," he says apologetically. "I was hoping there would be some sort of lead. Nevertheless, they did find your father's body."

Yuki's expression doesn't change. Of course, there was a tiny part of him that still hoped. He kept telling himself not to be silly. Yet, was it not human of him to believe in miracles? To wait until the proof was undeniable before he finally accepted reality? Well, it was undeniable now. His mother and father were both gone from this world.

Rodrigue waits for Yuki to say something and when the boy doesn't, continues, "I sent a healer to bless his body before the burial. We can leave tomorrow if you would like."

Yuki nods at that. The sooner he can bury his parents, the sooner he can close that chapter of his life and move on with his new. He then remembers what he came in to ask.

"My lord, may I ask a question?"

"Of course, Yuki. What is it?"

Yuki hesitates. Unsure about how to word his question.  _ Was Father my real father? _ Was that too direct? Yuki decides to just go for it.

"Are you my father?" He blurts out before he can stop himself. 

Rodrigue's expression changes from serious to shocked. And then after a few seconds, changes again to a look of resigned understanding.

"Have you been hearing people talk about you?"

Yuki nods slowly. Rodrigue sighs at that.

"I had expected this but not this soon, and I should have warned you about it. People will inevitably talk about you and your relationship to me. I want you to know that I am not your father. The man and woman that raised you your whole life are your parents. The reason I took you in is what I told you. I owed your father my life. That is the truth of the matter."

Yuki breathes a sigh of relief. He's not sure how he would have coped if he'd found out his father wasn't his true father. At least his memories of him are intact.

"Ignore the gossip you hear," Rodrigue tells him firmly. "Let me deal with that. However, you must know that by me taking you in, you will be faced with these rumours your whole life. Are you okay with that?"

Yuki muses about that question internally. It did hurt him to hear the whispers. His father had been a good man, a good parent. So had his mother. So it had hurt him that time he overheard a guardsman call his mother a 'whore' and Yuki a 'bastard whelp'. He didn't really know what those words meant but the way that man had said it had let Yuki realise they probably weren't nice words to say about people.

"I will get used to it, my lord," Yuki replies hesitantly. "Words are just words. You've given me a roof over my head, fed me and clothed me. If people saying bad things about me or my parents are the cost, then I am okay with that."

Rodrigue looked like he didn't like that response. "The point is that you shouldn't have to hear those bad things in the first place. I promise I will make sure I put those rumours to rest."

And he'd made good on that promise. Almost the same day, the whispers stop. Yuki still sees people staring at him when he walks past sometimes. He knows the rumours are still happening, just out of earshot now. He decides that since he couldn't do anything about it, there was no point in him dwelling on it.

He sets off the next morning with Lord Rodrigue and a small contingent of guards. Yuki doesn't know how to ride a horse, so he travels in a carriage with the Duke. It takes them two days at a fast-paced rate to reach his home. Yuki thinks about how far the castle is from his house, and just how much effort his mother would have needed to warp them that distance. When he thinks back to it in the future, he would realise that no ordinary mage could have managed such a feat.

From the outside, his house primarily appears to be the same with a few differences. The chicken coop that usually houses five chickens is empty, no clucking hens to be found. The cart that they use to transport wood to town is completely overturned. The door leading inside the house is battered. Yuki gingerly steps around the clutter to enter inside.

It's a total mess. Every single surface has been searched through without a care. The kitchen shelves have been emptied of their belongings, plates shattered across the floor, the dining table and chairs on their sides. Yuki steps inside the bedroom and finds a similar state of chaos. The pillows have been torn apart, the bedsheets overturned. It looked like the house had been thoroughly searched through for something. Yuki doesn't know if the men found what they came to find, or why they would think somewhere as quaint as his home would contain anything of value.

Rodrigue had told Yuki that he could take his time going through the house for his belongings. Yuki does so now, patiently combing through the rubble to find bits and pieces he wants to keep. He finds his mother's jade comb, one that she's had for as long as he can remember. He somehow manages to find his father's wedding ring. Being a woodcutter, it didn't make sense for him to wear something valuable given how physical his work was. Hence he would keep it on the bedside table in the daytime and place it back on his finger at night. There are various other knickknacks: Yuki's teddybear that he used to cuddle to sleep when he was younger, a small bracelet his mother had woven out of vines, a small vial of perfume his mother wore. When he is finished, he places the various objects in a little sack and makes his way towards the exit. He turns around to have one last look at the house—his childhood home with all its memories inside. 

_ Goodbye, _ Yuki thinks to himself. It isn't just a goodbye to the house. It is a goodbye to his childhood. It is a goodbye to his parents as he watches their bodies burn in the bonfire while he stands stoically next to Rodrigue, who has his head bowed in respect.

And it is a goodbye to innocence he will never regain.


End file.
